Summary

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The majority voted in favour of a motion to pass the bill in the House of Representatives. In parliamentary jargon, they voted to read the bill for a third time. This means that it will now be sent to the Senate for their consideration.

What is the bill's main idea?

According to the bills digest (which is a document prepared by the parliamentary library):

  • The purpose of the Migration Amendment (Bridging Visa Conditions and Other Measures) Bill 2023 is to make a number of amendments following the rapid introduction and passage of the Migration Amendment (Bridging Visa Conditions) Act 2023.

  • Specifically, the Bill will create new criminal offences for breaching certain visa conditions, amend the circumstances when a Minister must vary the conditions for a Bridging Visa R, and introduce new powers for the collection and use of information related to an electronic monitoring device.

  • On 8 November 2023, the High Court of Australia ordered the release of an individual known as NZYQ from immigration detention, finding his detention unlawful. On 16 November 2023, the Government introduced the Migration Amendment (Bridging Visa Conditions) Bill 2023. This Bill passed both Houses that day with the support of the Opposition and received assent on 17 November prior to the High Court handing down its reasons in the NZYQ decision on 28 November 2023.

  • The Migration Amendment (Bridging Visa Conditions) Act 2023 amended the Migration Act 1958 and the Migration Regulations 1994 to allow for the imposition of new visa conditions and the creation of offences for breaches of certain visa conditions which apply to non-citizens for whom there is no real prospect of removal from Australia becoming practicable in the reasonably foreseeable future (the NZYQ-affected cohort).

  • Stakeholders have raised significant concerns with these new provisions, and they are already the subject of at least 3 High Court challenges.

  • Media reporting has foreshadowed that the Government will seek to move amendments to the Bill to introduce a new detention order scheme to be modelled on the continuing detention order scheme in Division 105A of the Criminal Code. The Opposition and the Australian Greens, as well as a number of independents, did not support the passage of the Bill through the House of Representatives.

Votes Passed by a small majority

Nobody rebelled against their party.

Party Votes
Australian Greens (75% turnout) 0 Yes 3 No
Adam Bandt Melbourne No
Stephen Bates Brisbane No
Elizabeth Watson-Brown Ryan No
Max Chandler-Mather Griffith Absent
Australian Labor Party (91% turnout) 70 Yes 0 No
Anne Aly Cowan Yes
Michelle Ananda-Rajah Higgins Yes
Chris Bowen McMahon Yes
Tony Burke Watson Yes
Josh Burns Macnamara Yes
Mark Butler Hindmarsh Yes
Alison Byrnes Cunningham Yes
Jim Chalmers Rankin Yes
Andrew Charlton Parramatta Yes
Lisa Chesters Bendigo Yes
Sharon Claydon Newcastle Yes
Libby Coker Corangamite Yes
Julie Collins Franklin Yes
Pat Conroy Shortland Yes
Mary Doyle Aston Yes
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs Yes
Justine Elliot Richmond Yes
Cassandra Fernando Holt Yes
Mike Freelander Macarthur Yes
Carina Garland Chisholm Yes
Andrew Giles Scullin Yes
Patrick Gorman Perth Yes
Luke Gosling Solomon Yes
Julian Hill Bruce Yes
Ed Husic Chifley Yes
Stephen Jones Whitlam Yes
Ged Kearney Cooper Yes
Matt Keogh Burt Yes
Peter Khalil Wills Yes
Catherine King Ballarat Yes
Madeleine King Brand Yes
Tania Lawrence Hasluck Yes
Jerome Laxale Bennelong Yes
Andrew Leigh Fenner Yes
Sam Lim Tangney Yes
Zaneta Mascarenhas Swan Yes
Kristy McBain Eden-Monaro Yes
Emma McBride Dobell Yes
Louise Miller-Frost Boothby Yes
Brian Mitchell Lyons Yes
Rob Mitchell McEwen Yes
Daniel Mulino Fraser Yes
Shayne Neumann Blair Yes
Brendan O'Connor Gorton Yes
Clare O'Neil Hotham Yes
Alicia Payne Canberra Yes
Graham Perrett Moreton Yes
Fiona Phillips Gilmore Yes
Tanya Plibersek Sydney Yes
Sam Rae Hawke Yes
Gordon Reid Robertson Yes
Dan Repacholi Hunter Yes
Amanda Rishworth Kingston Yes
Tracey Roberts Pearce Yes
Michelle Rowland Greenway Yes
Joanne Ryan Lalor Yes
Marion Scrymgour Lingiari Yes
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong Yes
Sally Sitou Reid Yes
David Smith Bean Yes
Anne Stanley Werriwa Yes
Meryl Swanson Paterson Yes
Susan Templeman Macquarie Yes
Matt Thistlethwaite Kingsford Smith Yes
Kate Thwaites Jagajaga Yes
Maria Vamvakinou Calwell Yes
Tim Watts Gellibrand Yes
Anika Wells Lilley Yes
Josh Wilson Fremantle Yes
Tony Zappia Makin Yes
Anthony Albanese Grayndler Absent
Matt Burnell Spence Absent
Linda Burney Barton Absent
Jason Clare Blaxland Absent
Steve Georganas Adelaide Absent
Richard Marles Corio Absent
Peta Murphy Dunkley Absent
Rebekha Sharkie Mayo Centre Alliance No
Mark Coulton Parkes Deputy Speaker No
Russell Broadbent Monash Independent No
Zoe Daniel Goldstein Independent No
Andrew Gee Calare Independent No
Monique Ryan Kooyong Independent No
Allegra Spender Wentworth Independent No
Zali Steggall Warringah Independent No
Kylea Tink North Sydney Independent No
Andrew Wilkie Clark Independent No
Kate Chaney Curtin Independent Absent
Helen Haines Indi Independent Absent
Dai Le Fowler Independent Absent
Sophie Scamps Mackellar Independent Absent
Bob Katter Kennedy Katter's Australian Party No
Liberal National Party (100% turnout) 0 Yes 9 No
Angie Bell Moncrieff No
Colin Boyce Flynn No
Cameron Caldwell Fadden No
Garth Hamilton Groom No
Henry Pike Bowman No
Phillip Thompson Herbert No
Andrew Wallace Fisher No
Andrew Willcox Dawson No
Terry Young Longman No
Liberal Party (85% turnout) 0 Yes 28 No
Bridget Archer Bass No
Scott Buchholz Wright No
David Coleman Banks No
Peter Dutton Dickson No
Paul Fletcher Bradfield No
Ian Goodenough Moore No
Andrew Hastie Canning No
Alex Hawke Mitchell No
Luke Howarth Petrie No
Julian Leeser Berowra No
Nola Marino Forrest No
Melissa McIntosh Lindsay No
Zoe McKenzie Flinders No
Ted O'Brien Fairfax No
Tony Pasin Barker No
Gavin Pearce Braddon No
Melissa Price Durack No
Rowan Ramsey Grey No
James Stevens Sturt No
Michael Sukkar Deakin No
Dan Tehan Wannon No
Bert Van Manen Forde No
Ross Vasta Bonner No
Aaron Violi Casey No
Jenny Ware Hughes No
Rick Wilson O'Connor No
Keith Wolahan Menzies No
Jason Wood La Trobe No
Karen Andrews McPherson Absent
Warren Entsch Leichhardt Absent
Sussan Ley Farrer Absent
Scott Morrison Cook Absent
Angus Taylor Hume Absent
National Party (83% turnout) 0 Yes 10 No
Sam Birrell Nicholls No
Darren Chester Gippsland No
Pat Conaghan Cowper No
Kevin Hogan Page No
Barnaby Joyce New England No
Michelle Landry Capricornia No
Michael McCormack Riverina No
Llew O'Brien Wide Bay No
Keith Pitt Hinkler No
Anne Webster Mallee No
David Gillespie Lyne Absent
David Littleproud Maranoa Absent
Milton Dick Oxley Speaker Absent
Totals (87% turnout) 70 Yes – 61 No